Order of Worship for Sunday, March 9th 2025

Leader: Come, all who long to love as Jesus loves.
People: We come, though love is often messy and costly.

Leader: The Good Samaritan showed us that love disrupts our plans.
People: And Mary sat at Jesus' feet, reminding us that love also requires presence.

Leader: Come, let us worship the God who calls us to compassion in action and stillness.
People: We come to be shaped by Christ’s radical love!

Merciful God, We confess that love is not always our first response. We are too often like the priest and the Levite, choosing convenience over compassion, safety over service. We see the needs around us, but we turn away, afraid of the cost, unsure of how to help.

We confess that, like Martha, we are busy with many things, but we neglect the one thing needed — to sit in Your presence, to listen, to be transformed. Forgive us when we are too distracted to notice You, too rushed to love as You have called us to love.

Lord, wake us up to the messy, beautiful, radical love of Jesus. Disrupt our routines, unsettle our comfort, and move us to mercy. Shape us into people who act with compassion and dwell in Your presence. In Christ’s name, we pray. Amen.

Leader: Even when we turn away, God’s mercy remains. Even when we are too distracted, God still calls us by name. Christ does not condemn us—He awakens us to new life. In Jesus Christ, we are forgiven, restored, and set free to love.

People: Thanks be to God, whose mercy transforms us and whose love never fails!

Generous and merciful God, You have poured out Your love upon us, filling our lives with every good gift. As we bring these offerings, we bring more than money— we bring our hearts, our hands, and our willingness to serve. Bless and use these gifts to heal the broken, feed the hungry, and spread the good news of Your boundless love. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen.